Do you know that overdose of prescribed drugs is also considered as drug addiction? Both legal and illegal drugs impose a considerable burden on individuals as well as the overall economy. The misuse of addictive substances increases health care & law enforcement cost, unemployment, less productivity, and poor quality of life. 

Some addictive drugs are highly stimulating that they addict the user only after one use; one such drug is math. It affects both the mental and physical health depending upon how long meth is in the system. It does not matter if it is consumed for a long term or the short term; it has adverse effects on the user’s health.

Economic impacts of drugs overuse

A study conducted in 2012 showed that the cost of both illegal and legal adjective substances is about 4.6 billion euros in Belgium, only which is about 1.19 % of the GDP. Moreover, this cost is 515,000 more than the one spends on the healthcare system. 

According to another report presented by centers of disease control and prevention estimates that alcohol abuse costs about $223.5 billion annually to the US. According to this report, 10% of the men and 3.5% of the women drink heavily; about 24 million Americans use illegal substances. 

These toxic drugs and alcohol add up to the health care costs, according to the very same report one-quarter of the medical patients in 2011 involved only drug and alcohol abusers. Among commonly used substances, black tar heroin, marijuana, ice, and opium are some prominent names.

Social impacts of drugs overuse

Other than the overall economy, society is greatly influenced by drug and alcohol overconsumption. Below are given some facts and figures based on research to help you know how adversely these intoxicants are affecting society.

• They increase the insurance premium and reduce productivity. The drug and alcohol abuse costs about 93 billion dollars annually to the corporations.
• 52% of all the traffic fatalities are on account of alcohol and drugs.
• More than two-thirds of people who report drug abuse are employed. It means that they affect their workplaces as well. 
• Drug addiction significantly impacts on the text for dance by increasing the social welfare and healthcare costs.
• Only health insurance companies pay about 24 to 25 billion dollars annually to treat substance misuse disorders. 
• According to the US department of justice, 18% of the prison inmates committed crimes in order to buy drugs or alcohol for themselves. 
• The criminal cost of drug users is somewhere between 61 billion dollars to 113 billion dollars, excluding the cost of the criminal justice system and the intelligent systems related to these activities. 
• Students who do not consume any drugs are more likely to score a great score than those who consume drug substances.

Conclusion

Estimating the social and economic costs of addictive substances is very complicated, but it helps to figure out to what extent they are harming the overall economy and society. It is always best to opt for a healthy lifestyle & stay in good company to avoid drug consumption. Do not even consume drugs even in the name of adventure because many substances create temptations even after one use.